At a recent New York City Council hearing, Senior Director Amanda McCarthy shared testimony on the importance of community-based programs for young people. Read the full testimony below.
Good afternoon, Chair Stevens and members of the Committee on Children and Youth.
My name is Amanda McCarthy, and I am Senior Director and Youth Policy Lead at CASES. At CASES we believe that too many futures are cut short by unnecessary incarceration. CASES does what prisons cannot: we restore hope by giving the city’s most vulnerable residents opportunities to heal, grow, and succeed in their communities.
We served over 12,000 New Yorkers last year, including 741 young people. Our programs prevent young people from experiencing the trauma of incarceration and support their personal goals for education, employment, health, and housing, and promote mental wellbeing through clinical and case management services.
Access to community-based programs is critical to divert young people from entering or furthering their involvement in the criminal legal system. The FY27 budget must support the planned expansion of our ACES program and double the Council’s Court-Involved Youth Mental Health Initiative to uplift young New Yorkers.
ACES: $10.1 Million
CASES ACES program works to divert young men, particularly those that are disconnected from school, community, and employment opportunities, from the criminal legal system.
Through persistent outreach, intensive mentorship and meeting participants’ immediate material needs, our credible messenger staff build trust and meaningful relationships with ACES participants. With this strong foundation, participants share goals and proactively engage in their own development. They participate in paid transitional employment services, pursue high school equivalency courses, and engage in work readiness. 86% of all ACES participants successfully avoided arrest while in the program.
ACS has proposed expanding ACES to serve more young people in the Bronx, Central Harlem, and Brooklyn, with $10.1 million in funding. Current funding does not meet demand, and more young people are becoming caught up in the criminal legal system and detained in juvenile justice facilities. Young people are spending more days in detention, as the population of our juvenile justice facilities rises.
Double Funding for the Court-Involved Youth Mental Health Initiative – $6.89 million
We encourage the Council to invest further into community-based programs for justice involved youth, by doubling funding for the Council’s Court-Involved Youth Mental Health Initiative. This initiative supports mental health services for 3,000 young people annually served by 21 providers. Over 65% of children in the juvenile legal system have a diagnosable mental health condition. Current providers report waitlists and unmet demand, and additional organizations need this funding to better serve young people.
CASES utilizes City funding to support its Adolescent Portable Therapy (APT) program, providing cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and in-house family therapy that helps young people heal and thrive. With increased funding, CASES would create a Director of Clinical Services to oversee all youth mental health services, ensuring high quality care for hundreds of young people. Doubling the Court-Involved Youth Mental Health Initiative is a critical component to improve the emotional wellbeing of our young people.
Choices+: Building Positive Relationships at Home
CASES Choices+ Alternative to Detention (ATD), funded by ACS, provides support to youth at a critical time, as they face criminal charges in the Bronx and Manhattan Family Courts and Youth Parts of Criminal and Supreme Courts. Choices+ allows them to avoid detention, rebuild positive relationships at home, and work towards healthy, independent adulthood. Through family therapy, education support, and court compliance & advocacy services, young people have the tools to reclaim and reach their goals.
If these youth had been held in detention facilities, they would be exposed to the trauma of incarceration while separated from their families, missing school, and limited mental health support. Incarceration simply does not allow young people to get on track or develop the healthy coping skills that Choices+ provides.
CRED: Supporting Young People’s Employment Goals
To truly transform the future for young people, we must create pathways for employment and economic mobility. Our young people deserve training for real career advancement opportunities that can support a quality standard of living in our city. Job readiness programs like CRED (Community Resources for Employment and Development), funded by DYCD, provide paid career training and certifications, allowing them to meet current needs while investing in their future selves. CRED launched last summer and has served over 30 residents of communities most affected by violence, including those as priority areas by the Gun Violence Prevention Task Force.
Expanding services for young people is critically needed now. Current funding does not meet demand, and more young people are becoming caught up in the criminal legal system and detained in juvenile justice facilities. As reported in the most recent Mayor’s Management Report:
- There has been an increase in the juvenile cumulative rearrest rate, to 21.1% from 16.5%, demonstrating more frequent rearrests and a need for focused support,
- A dramatic increase in the length of stay in secure detention, from 65 days to 111 days, and
- Due longer length of stay in detention, the average daily population of youth in detention increased 22% from 318.4 to 386.8 youth held daily in detention facilities.
Youth incarceration decreases likelihood of graduating high school, reduces college enrollment and lowers employment and future earnings in adulthood. For our young people to thrive, they must be diverted from the criminal legal system and given opportunities for success. The FY27 budget must reflect this need by supporting the expansion of ACES and doubling the Court-Involved Youth Mental Health Initiative.
We appreciate the City’s commitment to helping young New Yorkers avoid involvement in the criminal legal system and achieve their full potential. Thank you.
